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Hooked on Hookah

A means of smoking tobacco and other substances
that began in India and spread to the Far East and
Middle East has now appeared in the United States,
including Manatee and Sarasota Counties,
raising alarms in some quarters.

Above, The Cellar Bar and Hookah Lounge,
4307 26th Avenue West, Bradenton, Florida
(Photo by Carole Law Atkins, NewsManatee)

MANATEE COUNTY, Florida [NMT] -- Mention of the word hookah conjures up an image of a smoke-filled room in old Persia, with several men in turbans sitting around smoking water pipes through a tube. At least, that's what the movies portray. And it's pretty accurate.

Smoking through a hookah was invented in India and spread east and west from there to the Far East and Middle East. As of late, it has come to the United States and, more germaine here, to Manatee and Sarasota Counties, as well.

We know of one establishment in Manatee County, in particular, and that's The Cellar Bar and Hookah Lounge, 4307 26th Avenue West, Bradenton. In Sarasota County, the one that we know of is Aristo Hookah Lounge, 1603 Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.

Above, a man smokes a hookah at a hookah lounge

Smoking the hookah consists of drawing tobacco smoke (or other substance) through water (or another liquid) by sucking on a long tube, like smoking a cigarette.

Originally, the hookah was created to smoke tobacco, sometimes flavored. But more recently over the years, it has also been used to smoke marijuana, hashish, opium, and even crushed up narcotic pain pills.

A hookah can be purchased by anyone over the Internet, or in local head shops that sell drug paraphernalia.

Regardless of the substance being smoked, one local group is raising hazard warnings regarding the effects of smoking the hookah on the health of the smoker. Four interns from the Gulfcoast South Area Health Education Center addressed this issue. Here are their findings.

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Hookah Unveiled: Clearing the Smoke

By: Cathryne Dutka, Stefanie Johnson, Shinelle Pierre and Brian Welch

If someone told to you to chain smoke 50 cigarettes, would you even think twice about declining? An emerging trend has been on the rise that, within 45 minutes, produces 100-200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from one cigarette. This trend is called hookah, water-pipe, or popularly known as “hubble bubble.” In spite of the health consequences associated with smoking hookah, an increasing number of non-smokers are now becoming hookah smokers. The reason? Misleading advertising and information about hookah prevalent in social media outlets.

Four summer interns at Gulfcoast South Area Health Education Center (GSAHEC) are on a mission to eliminate the misconceptions surrounding hookah tobacco and create awareness about the negative health consequences. The goal is to educate health care practitioners, legislatures and the public on the emerging threat of water-pipe smoking on our communities. By highlighting the health risks and diluting the mystique of hookah use, we hope to slow the progressive spread of hookah use amongst today’s teens and young adults. In addition, we strive to develop sound recommendations to current anti-tobacco policies with the purpose of placing stricter requirements on the sale and distribution of hookah.

Globally, public health officials have begun extracting myths, unveiling the truths and spear-heading local initiatives to counteract widespread misconceptions about hookah. The internet is plagued with fabricated information surrounding hookah use. Separating the facts from all the myths can be rather challenging. Three major myths have been identified:

Myth 1: “Hookah is just flavored herbs and doesn’t contain tobacco.” Hookah is tobacco. Whether it’s called shisha, molasses, or fruit herbs, the product used in hookah is still predominantly tobacco.

Myth 2: “The water in the hookah filters the smoke making it more pure.” Over 95% of the harsh chemicals and toxins that are produced by hookah smoke are inhaled deep into the lungs by the user, regardless of the water.

Myth 3: “Hookah doesn’t contain enough nicotine to become addictive.” According to a 2009 article published in the Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, a single water-pipe use episode can increase blood nicotine levels well beyond those observed after a single cigarette.

We are currently implementing an educational campaign on local college campuses and in the GSAHEC service area of Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota counties. If you would like to find out more about what we are doing or would like to help, please visit our website at www.gsahec.org/hookah or contact Emily M. Hite at 941-361-6602 ext. 22.

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NewsManatee spoke to Emily Hite, Tobacco Training Coordinator for the Gulfcoast South Area Health Education Center, who told us, "Hookah use is increasing among young adults in our area and presenting a new public health threat. Research done by GSAHEC interns determined that a majority of hookah users are misinformed or unaware of the dangers associated with smoking hookah. That’s why, at GSAHEC, four local college students designed an educational campaign to be implemented at colleges around the area to unveil the myths associated with hookah use."

[Ed. Note: The U.S. Surgeon General says "Smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy. Quitting smoking now greatly reduces serious risks to your health."]

[Ed. Note: The Cellar informs us that they do not allow illegal drugs on their premises.]

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